5 Tips to Jumpstart Your Fitness Routine [GUEST POST]

Mar 16

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Y'all are in for a TREAT today! As someone who does A LOT of networking on social media, I get to "meet" a lot of people - a lot of people who have A LOT more knowledge that I ever will.

Over the past year, I have gotten to know Kelsey (you can follow her on IG @kelseydecker_) and immediately felt connected to her! Similar to me, she has a passion for helping + encouraging mamas, but her background is in health + fitness. Not only that, she's a doctor of physical therapy, so she knows her stuff!

I asked her to be a guest on the blog so she could teach you #allthethings about how to jumpstart your fitness as a busy mama! Her tips are great and I know you're going to fall in love with her too!

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Hey there busy mama. I see you. I see you setting goals, making plans, and struggling to see results. I get it. This whole mom life gig is a tough one. There are bums to wipe, clothes to wash, dinner to cook, daycare/school pick ups, sporting activities, multiple schedules to coordinate, and on top of all of that, we are supposed to take care of ourselves too!

With our to-do list getting longer by the minute, we often will move ourselves farther down on the list, or leave ourselves of completely. Our goals, our plans, even just 10 minutes to pee alone seems like things that are so far out of reach, that it is easier to just give up rather than be frustrated that we can’t make progress.

So why do we do that to ourselves?

Well, because our lives are busy and packed full of taking care of everyone else. But I am here to tell you, that when you take care of yourself FIRST, and on the regular, you will be better able to take care of everyone else!

One of the best ways to start taking care of yourself is by establishing and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Part of a healthy lifestyle needs to include some sort of fitness routine. I believe so strongly that when we move our bodies and become stronger and more capable, our confidence grows and we are more able to tackle all the challenges that come our way.

With all that being said, I want to share with you my 5 tips to jumpstart your fitness routine!

Tip #1: Start with a realistic goal.

So often we decide we are going to make a change, be more active, eat less sugar, drink more water, run a 5k, etc. and we are pumped up and ready to go. We start off by making a HUGE change and things go great for a few days or even a few weeks, but then we just can’t keep it up. We get tired, run out of time, aren’t recovering well, etc. and then we give up.

Rather than making a huge goal that requires massive change, if we will shift our mindset to make a smaller, more sustainable change, we will be more successful. Small changes over time will lead to big, sustainable changes.

So, if you are starting from ground zero, not working out at all, shoot for 2-3 days a week rather than 5-6. Once you are consistently hitting that goal, consider challenging yourself by adding an extra session in, until you reach your goal of 5-6 days a week. Small successes early on will help build the momentum you need to keep going and moving forward.

Tip #2: Make yourself a priority

As moms, this may be the hardest tip on this list. It is so incredibly easy to look at the overwhelming amount of things we need to do and think there is no way to find time for ourselves too. If nothing else from this post sticks after you walk away, I hope this does...

We moms NEED to take care of ourselves.

When we dedicate so much of our time, our day, our life to taking care of those around us, it is CRITICAL that we also take care of ourselves. If we neglect ourselves physically, emotionally, spiritually, etc., we eventually will be “running on empty” and will struggle to keep up with all the other demands that we take on.

Now, don’t be fooled here, I don’t have all the time in the world to make this happen for me. I am a mom like many, I also work full time as does my husband, and we have a handful of things going on all the time. But I have personally found that I can deal with everything so much better when I take care of myself FIRST. Sure, call me selfish if you want, but that is what I do. I am a better mom, wife, coworker, friend, and WOMAN when I make sure that my needs are being met. Now, this doesn’t mean I get a spa weekend every week (although if that’s your thing, more power to you!). It does, however, mean that I get some structured workout or movement time DAILY. Sometimes this means waking up a little early or staying up a little late, or even sneaking in a walk during my lunch, but I do something. The need to take care of ourselves didn’t magically disappear when we became moms. In fact, I would argue that it is more important than ever, as moms, to take care of ourselves because we have little people depending on us. too!

Tip #3: Work smarter, not harder

Alright, I’m a little embarrassed to admit how long this one took me to learn. As a recovering distance runner (I still run, but it’s not what I live for anymore), becoming a mom and realizing that I didn’t have 3 hours every saturday to dedicate to running was a hard pill to swallow. I used to LIVE for long runs. While I still enjoyed them after having my first baby, I started to realize that running, while still enjoyable, was too time consuming and was NOT giving me the physical results I was looking for. I had no energy after my long runs, which is obviously not ideal as a mom. I also wasn’t seeing any physical changes like I had seen previously. In fact, my body seemed to be doing the opposite of what I was hoping for. I was gaining weight, my clothes were not fitting great, and I just felt mediocre. (Not feelings you want as a mom, am I right?) After being so frustrated with the lack of results for the amount of effort I was putting into my fitness routine, I switched gears into weight lifting and strength training. I *theoretically* knew that strength training would be a more effective way of training. I had learned this over and over in school, but for some reason, it obviously wouldn't apply to me, right? WRONG. With structured, targeted workouts, I was able to start working out at home, with some dumbbells for 20-30 minutes 4 days a week, and guess what, I saw RESULTS. My energy was back. I was getting stronger. My clothes were fitting better. I felt GREAT... and I had gotten HOURS back into my week.

How could I be working out LESS and seeing MORE results? Simple, strength training. The combination of the high intensity and strength building workouts were changing my body, giving me energy, and my confidence sky-rocketed. So, why would I keep working harder, when I was getting the results I wanted by working smarter?

Tip #4: Learn to love the 10 minute rule.

What is the 10 minute rule? Well, I’m not really sure where it started, but it is something my mom used to say to me. So, now I pass it on to all my clients. It is just that good. The 10 minute rule is this:

Before skipping or giving up on something, do it for 10 minutes. If, after 10 minutes, you still don’t want to, don’t feel good, or whatever, you let yourself be done, no guilt, no shoulda woulda coulda, nothing.

The thought process behind this is pretty simple actually. When it comes to anything, getting started is 90% of the battle. Once we are started and moving forward, momentum will carry us through. This applies to working out, doing dishes/laundry, whatever!

I can’t tell you how often I use this thinking in my DAILY life. It is about so much more than working out. And the cool thing is, I rarely stop at 10 minutes. But it is the motivation I need to get started.

Tip #5: Just Start!

Today... right now... this is the perfect time to start. Life isn’t going to get easier. We aren’t going to get less busy. And we don’t need to be in better shape to start working out. (I’ve heard this excuse more times than you’d think.) When we sit around and wait for the perfect time to make changes, make time for ourselves, start moving our body, etc., we will wait for a LONG time. And during that time we will be wishing we had started a week ago, or a month ago, or a year ago, because we feel the need for something different.

The best way to start is to take the first step. Find the time in your day for yourself. Find a workout you want to try. Plan to take yourself and the kids on a walk. Challenge yourself to drink more water today. Pick something small and manageable and build on it as you go. As I mentioned before, small changes made over time are what lead to big results and help us achieve the big goals we have for ourselves.

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Kelsey Decker is a wife, a mom, a physical therapist, and a postnatal fitness specialist with a passion for helping women feel strong, confident, and capable throughout pregnancy, postpartum, and motherhood. After having her second baby, she became frustrated with the lack of support, guidance, and realistic expectations provided to postpartum women. In a world dominated by the pressure to “bounce back” as fast as possible, she wanted to become strong, confident, and capable. Since then, she has been learning and sharing that knowledge with all those who will listen. Pregnancy, postpartum, and motherhood are not experiences that diminish our strength or ability. Rather, they make us stronger!

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